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The four areas the All Blacks need to find answers on the 'Grand Slam' tour
By Ben Smith
The All Blacks end of year tour has been given the ‘Grand Slam’ moniker as they will face the four traditional home nations, Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.
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Having already missed out on the Rugby Championship title for the second year running, the pressure is on to finish the 2025 season strong but key absences make this tougher than it looks.
While Wales and Scotland are ranking 12th and 9th respectively, Ireland and England are top five ranked opponents that will trouble the All Blacks.
There are genuine tight five concerns with a number of key players out, particularly now that lock Patrick Tuipulotu joins Tupou Vaa’i on the sidelines.
Here are the areas that Robertson and the coaching staff want to find answers for on the 2025 end of year tour.
Third hooker problem
George Bell has been recalled to the squad to replace Brodie McAlister.
Bell, a 2024 debutant with four caps to his name, has been plying his trade for Canterbury since finishing the Super Rugby Pacific season with the Crusaders.
McAlister’s troubles in the second Test against South Africa have essentially cost him a place, with the All Blacks back on the search for that third option.
The loss of Asafo Aumua to injury has really been felt in 2025 with a lack of reliable hooker depth. Aumua last played for the All Blacks in Italy in the final game of 2024, and injuries have sidelined the Wellington hooker this year.
Codie Taylor has once again been exceptional, with the new target of Fabian Holland basically becoming a cheat code at lineout time to win free ball. Samisoni Taukei’aho has also been as good as a replacement, with the lineout and maul powering the All Blacks to a win in the first Test against Argentina.
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It really has been when one of the top two options out that have cost the All Blacks. The lineout has completely capitulated.
Enter George Bell. He’s a powerful ball carrier able to generate decent post contact metres. But the 23-year-old needs to prove he can nail the pressure throws in the big games.
Unlikely to play against Ireland or England, Bell’s chance should come against Scotland or Wales.
Lock stocks hurting
Losing Tupou Vaa’i and Patrick Tuipulotu is a big deal. The All Blacks are a much better team with these two available, proved time and time again over Scott Robertson’s tenure.
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Vaa’i was indispensable in 2024 and in the conversation as the world’s best lock. The All Blacks also looked their best in 2024 when Tuipolotu returned from injury to add experience and power to the bench unit, which coincidentally also featured Aumua.
When the bench packed a punch, the All Blacks were able to close out games effectively.
Now, Josh Lord and Sam Darry are back in the mix.
Lord has been around the All Blacks for some time, since 2021, but hasn’t kicked on like Vaa’i has. The legendary Retallick said Lord was the biggest lock in the squad in 2023, but we haven’t seen Lord find the grunt in his game to use his size.
Darry was used during the 2024 Rugby Championship, starting two games against Argentina, before dropping to the bench against South Africa. He had 11 minutes in the late collapse at Ellis Park and the coaches didn’t even use him in Cape Town despite being on the bench.
The coaches would love to see Darry and Lord make that step up on this tour and become viable Test players, instead of the development players that they currently are.
If they fail to do that, the All Blacks’ bench woes may return and that has really been the kryptonite for Robertson.
In five of the six losses under Robertson, the All Blacks were ahead at half-time. In the sixth, it was tied.
Roigard run to bring stability
Much was made of the non-selection on New Zealand U20 young gun Dylan Pledger in either squad, but really what the fans need to see is a prolonged run by Cam Roigard as the starter.
The All Blacks were blessed with stability at halfback all through the 2010s with the pair of Aaron Smith and TJ Perenara seemingly never absent. Since 2023 it has been the opposite, with halfbacks continually going down with injuries, Roigard no exception.
The Hurricanes No.9 is the clear first choice option, and touch wood he stays healthy all through this tour. With just 13 caps to his name, the coaches want to see that number grow much higher before 2027.
Roigard showed against the Wallabies at Eden Park what kind of impact he can have. His two try performance was the highlight of the afternoon.
On last year’s end of year tour, he returned to the All Blacks bench for the first two games, before outplaying Antoine Dupont in Paris in his first start in black in over a year.
On his day he can be better than Dupont and that’s what the All Blacks fans want to see week in, week out, starting with this northern tour.
Backline answers need to be found
It feels like there are still answers to be found with regard to the backline selections in this squad.
We know what Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett will bring at No.10. We know what Will Jordan will bring at No.15. We don’t know enough about what Ruben Love can bring at either of those positions.
If Love is truly the third choice option at first five, he needs more than a start there. While he might not get that against Ireland or England, Scotland and Wales would be a good place to try it.
If not at No.10, he definitely needs more time at fullback. Two of his four caps have been brief stints on the wing from the bench. That’s not good enough for a guy who shapes as a back-up option at the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
The coaches have to stop sandbagging Love and set him free. McKenzie and Barrett are known quantities, and given Barrett’s age profile, his minutes could certainly be managed better as well.
With Leicester Fainga’anuku back, there’s been plenty of talk about his ability as a midfielder but we haven’t tested that out. The All Blacks found something in Quinn Tupaea at 13 that has been missing, and now it’s time to see if Fainga’anuku also has something.
He could shape as the power No.12 that the All Blacks have missed since Ma’a Nonu. In his international return in Perth, he topped the defenders beaten charts for the All Blacks.
He needs to be given a start on this northern tour in the midfield and ideally in the No.12 jersey.